Jeremy Quin President of Boeing UK and Ireland
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Breakfast Business with Enterprise Ireland on Newstalk. Boeing sold its first plane into Ireland 65 years ago. It has since sold 1,400 aircraft to Irish airlines and leasing companies, making us, amazingly, the third biggest customer in the world. Now the Seattle-based planemaker is opening up a new European hub in Dublin Airport, possibly to get closer to its biggest single customer, Ryanair, which has been moaning about Boeing's late deliveries of aircraft for years. I spoke to Jeremy Quinn, the president of Boeing UK and Ireland, and asked him about those delays, but began by asking why they had chosen Ireland.
Why did Boeing choose Ireland for its new European hub?
We're incredibly excited about it. We're consolidating two offices into one. It gives us more room to expansion. We've increased our headcount by 30% in design engineering over the last few years. There's more growth to come. And this is an incredibly important market for us. It comes third after China and the US, our biggest customer in Europe. In terms of sales? In terms of sales and in terms of the amount of aircraft we are getting out to our brilliant customers, which includes Ryanair, which is our biggest customer in Europe.
And of course, you've got the leasing industry, which is huge here.
What challenges has Boeing faced with aircraft deliveries to Ryanair?
Aircap and other giants like that, that also buy a lot of your planes.
They're important to us. They're important to Ireland. This is a huge hub for international aviation. It's really important for Ireland. It's great to have the minister here today emphasising the importance of aviation for the Irish economy. And it's a growth industry. There'll be more planes coming into the air. There's a lot more work to do. And it's an exciting moment in aviation.
Ryanair, your single biggest customer. They have been on the record whinging about Boeing's delivery times. I'm guessing this facility is not going to change any of that.
What we know is that we've got a job to do. They are an incredibly important customer. But what I say to Ryanair and to our other customers is we'll get there. Bear with us. We've got a lot of work to do. working with the regulator. What they want is really high quality, top level planes. That's what they're going to get. We're working with the regulator and we will get them delivered to our customers. There are moments when you have to take some time, but that time is being used for good purpose.
Are you worried about competition, not just from Airbus, of course, that's always been there, but from Chinese plane makers, that they might steal a march? Or if the Chinese government says, for example, we're not going to buy American or European anymore?
We've got important business links right around the world and we're feeding a need. There's going to be, we reckon, 50,000 commercial airlines, aircraft in the air come 2044. There's a lot of work to go around and we're never afraid of competition. We will always ensure we have really good, safe, up-to-date planes ready for our customers to enjoy.
Are you worried that big business is a bit too close to government, especially in the White House?
How is Boeing addressing competition from other aircraft manufacturers?
What matters is that you have economies that really grow and thrive. So politicians are absolutely able to take advice from everybody, including their constituents, day in, day out. That includes a voice for business. It's important that business makes certain that Politicians know what will make an industry thrive, what will make it a success. So I hope that governments are always going to be, have their ears open to what business says and what business thinks. But they are the ones who will calibrate that, who will work out what's best for the country and for the broader economy. And that's a politician's job. Not too close? I don't think there's any over-closeness between business and government.
I've not perceived that. I'm thinking of the White House specifically. I'm happy to represent Boeing. I don't spend my time in the White House. I spend my time working with our customers and clients here in the UK and Ireland, and I look forward to continuing to do so.
What is the significance of the aviation industry for the Irish economy?
And that is Jeremy Quinn, the President of Boeing UK and Ireland.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:01–0:44
2
Why did Boeing choose Ireland for its new European hub?
0:44–1:17
3
What challenges has Boeing faced with aircraft deliveries to Ryanair?
1:17–2:58
4
How is Boeing addressing competition from other aircraft manufacturers?
2:58–3:58
5
What is the significance of the aviation industry for the Irish economy?
3:58–5:04
6
What role does government policy play in the aviation sector?
5:04–5:50